The instant invention relates to sailboats and more particularly to a sailboat which is adapted so that it is virtually uncapsizable due to wind effects under most conditions.
While the sport of sailing has gained significant popularity in recent years, it has been found that many sailboats, particularly those under 20 feet in length, are relatively prone to capsizing due to the force of the wind, even when they are sailed under relatively light wind conditions. It has been further found that although it can often be a relatively simple matter to right a relatively small single-hull sailboat after it has capsized, it can be extremely difficult to right a multihull vessel, such as a catamaran, or a trimaran. In any case, heretofore the possibility of capsizing has represented a significant threat to many sailboaters, and it has discouraged many persons from participating in the sport of sailing.
The instant invention provides a sailboat construction which is adapted so that it is virtually uncapsizable due to wind effects under most wind and sea conditions, and which can therefore be operated with an increased level of safety by even relatively inexperienced sailors. More specifically, the instant invention provides a sailboat construction which is adapted so that it automatically turns into the wind whenever it is exposed to a potential capsizing situation. Still more specifically, the sailboat construction of the instant invention is adapted so that the hull and sails thereof cooperate to produce a turning moment which increasingly causes the boat to be turned into the wind as it is increasingly heeled over by the force of the wind. In other words, the sailboat of the subject invention is adapted so that it is automatically turned into the wind to spill the wind from the sails thereof and to return the boat to an more upright disposition before it can reach the point of capsizing. The sailboat construction of the instant invention comprises a hull, a spar assembly on the hull and at least one sail which is supported by the spar assembly so that it is operative in response to wind movement for propelling the boat in a forward direction. The hull is constructed so that it includes first, second and third lateral resistance elements which extend into the water for resisting lateral movement of the hull when the latter is in a substantially level horizontal disposition. The first and third lateral resistance elements are positioned on the hull so that they are spaced outwardly from opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline or axis of the hull, and they are further constructed so that the theoretical centers of lateral resistance thereof are located forward of the theoretical center of the sail area of the boat when the sails are in substantially perpendicular relation to the longitudinal centerline of the hull. The second resistance element is positioned so that it is substantially aligned with the longitudinal centerline of the hull and so that the theoretical center of lateral resistance thereof is located aft of the theoretical center of the sail area of the boat when the sails are substantially aligned with the longitudinal centerline of the hull. In this connection, the theoretical centers of lateral resistance of the first, second and third hull sections represent the theoretical points thereof through which lateral force vectors representing the lateral resistances applied by the first, second and third resistance elements, respectively, extend during a normal sailing operation. The theoretical center of the sail area of a boat having a single sail is defined as the geometrical center of the sail, and the theoretical center of the sail area of a boat having a pair of sails is defined as that point in space which is located along a line between the centers of the two sails in proportion to the areas of the two sails. Similarly, the theoretical center of the sail area of a boat having more than two sails is defined by a geometrical weighted average of the center of the sails thereof. The sailboat of the subject invention preferably comprises both a mailsail and a jib, and hence, absent additional sails, the theoretical center of the sail area at any given time is located along a line which extends between the geometrical center of the mainsail and the geometrical center of the jib in proportion to the areas of the mainsail and the jib. The sailboat preferably comprises a tri-hull-type hull which includes laterally spaced first, second and third longitudinally extending hull sections, and the first, second and third hull sections are preferably integrally connected and include the first, second and third lateral resistance elements, respectively. In a first embodiment of the sailboat construction, the first, second and third resistance elements are preferably integrally formed with the first, second and third hull sections, and they are formed so that they define the main areas of buoyancy in the hull. In a second embodiment of the sailboat construction, the resistance elements comprise board-like members which are substantially aligned with the longitudinal centerline of the hull. In this embodiment the first and third resistance elements are preferably formed so that they are disposed substantially entirely forward of the theoretical center of the sail area of the boat when the sails are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the hull, and the second resistance element is preferably formed so that it is disposed substantially entirely aft of the theoretical center of the sail area of the boat when the sails are substantially aligned with the longitudinal centerline of the hull.
It has been found that the sailboat of the instant invention can be effectively sailed by even inexperienced sailors without significant risk of capsizing. In this connection, the tri-hull configuration of the sailboat of the subject invention makes it inherently stable under most conditions. However, because of the manner in which the hull is constructed, and in particular the positions of the lateral resistance elements, it is effectively impossible to capsize the sailboat of the subject invention, under most wind conditions. Specifically, the hull is constructed so that as the boat is increasingly heeled over due to the force of the wind, it automatically increasingly turns into the wind to spill the wind from the sails thereof and return the boat to a more upright condition before a capsizing situation can occur. More specifically, when the force of the wind causes either the first resistance element or the third resistance element to be lifted out of the water and the second resistance element to be partially lifted out of the water, the force of the wind cooperates with the resistance element remaining in the water to produce a turning moment which inherently turns the boat into the wind. As a result, before the boat can be heeled over the point of capsizing, it inherently turns into the wind to spill the wind from the sails thereof in order to return the boat to a more upright disposition.
Sailboats representing the closest prior art to the subject invention of which the applicant is aware are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,910,214; to Holter, 3,922,994; De Long, 3,937,166; Lindsay, 3,949,695; Pless, 3,974,535; Guanzini, 3,996,869; Hadley, 3,998,175; Pless, 4,004,534; Allison, 4,159,691; Paxton, 4,172,426; Susman, 4,224,889; Spiegel, 4,286,534; Sanner, 4,287,845; Sanner, 4,392,444; Andersson, and 4,582,011 Logan. However, since these references fail to suggest the concept of constructing a sailboat hull so that it includes resistance elements which are operative in cooperation with the sails thereof for producing a turning moment which steers the boat into the wind in the manner of the sailboat of the subject invention, they are believed to be of only general interest.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a sailboat construction which is virtually uncapsizable under most wind and sea conditions.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a sailboat construction which can be operated with an increased level of safety.
An even further object of the instant invention is to provide a tri-hulled sailboat construction which is increasingly automatically turned into the wind as it is increasingly heeled over due to the force of the wind.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.